International Shipping Form

International Priority Customs Form

Form #2976-A

Shipping overseas is not difficult at all!

I explained earlier how anything under 4 lbs can ship 1st class international.  You can get shippng cost  information for a particular country at http://www.usps.com/ .

Anything weighing over 4 lbs has to ship priority mail, which can really bring the cost up!  When I'm listing an item and know that it will weigh close to 4 lbs, I will add a note in the description for the international customer to contact me with their country information so I can get an accurate shipping cost for them.  If it is well under 4 lbs, I will add the shipping cost for Canada, and then click the "Everywhere Else" shipping and add the cost (I usually use Australia, since I know there's is one of the highest).

If you are shipping international priority, you will need the large customs form (#2976-A). To order a quantity of these, just go to http://www.usps.com/ (you'll need to register an account) , there will be a place to order this form, as well as other items, such as priority mail boxes, all for free!

The form is pretty easy to fill out (if I can do it, anyone can!).

#1 Enter your name info
#2 Enter your address info
#3 Enter the recipient's name info
#4 Enter the recipient's address info (this can be tricky since some of the international addresses can be crazy!)
#5 Detailed description, the quantity, weight, and the value.
On the left, below the description info, is a place to check "merchandise".
Below that is a place to enter "EEL" or "PFC".  I always add the EEL, since my items are under $2500.
#6 Sign and date
On the bottom right is a place to check-this is important: I always check "return to sender" if non deliverable.
There's some other stuff about insurance info on top right, I haven't used that .  With international priority mail, your package will automatically be insured for an amount (can't recall what it is right now-maybe $80).

That's it!  Take it to the post office, hand it to the clerk, they'll do the rest (well, except you have to pay for it)!

Try it-it's easy!

Happy Shipping!

Jen

Pictures

Westmoreland milk glass candleholders

Milk glass vase collection

Aqua and gold roly poly glasses

Shipping

I haven't forgotten that I promised a post on filling out the larger Customs form!  I'll try to get that on my next post.

Right now I wanted to let you know I sent a UPS box to my daughter (she had a wish list of things she wanted from my shop http://www.jenscloset.com/ -in case you didn't know my shop name)!  So I thought I'd pack up a few things for her and ship via UPS to see how it goes!

I've heard from a few Etsy vintage shops that they've found that UPS shipping can be cheaper, so I wanted to test it for myself.

I just opened an UPS account, and then entered the shipping information to Lindsey's address.  Of course I have my own handy dandy USPS scale to weigh my packages.  It was super easy to print my label online.

I dropped it off at my local UPS store, I'm know I can also have UPS come to my house and pick up the package.

Now to see how long it takes, and how the box and the items look after making their journey!  It isn't a long journey, from Cleveland to Columbus!

In this case, it would have actually been cheaper to ship via USPS priority mail.  I think if I'm shipping somewhere farther away, like TX or CA, UPS might work out to be a better deal.

So that's what's happening today!  Oh-on a different note!  I just had my nails done-the Shellac process!  I did it 2 weeks ago and was very happy with it.  With all the cleaning I do on my vintage items, it stood up well, and no chips on the nail polish!

I'll keep you informed on the UPS saga!

Best wishes!

Jen

Thinking Spring

I know everyone is ready for spring!  I thought I'd show off a few things from my Etsy shops to help us get through the rest of this winter season!

Think spring!

Jen

Libbey Country Garden

Harmony House Crinoline

Vintage Floral Framed Prints

Bright Green Retro Viking Dish

Happy Birthday Katherine!

My baby Katherine

What a smile!

Lindsey, Katherine, & Mark

Quirky girl

One of her formals (Lauren & Katherine)

Katherine & Lindsey (check out Lindsey on her tippy toes)

Katherine & Mark

We spent a fall day having fun at the park, taking fun pics!

How could it be that my baby turned 18 today!?  Katherine was just born yesterday, or so it seems!

I am so proud of all three of my kids, Mark, Katherine & Lindsey!  They're good people, and that's what counts the most!

My Katherine is an amazing young woman!  She's super-duper smart (and the fact that I am using the word super-duper means she did not get her brains from me)!  But...what I find even better than that fact, is that she is still such a fun, ditzy (I use that word in the most endearing of ways) girl!  She has a fantastic sense of humor!

I swear if she can make a living going to school formals, she would do it!  She's managed to go to about a billion (maybe a little exaggeration) this year, from a bunch of different schools in the area.

She has an amazing flair for fashion, as does her older sister Lindsey (who happens to have a fashion design degree)!  I'm always surprised at how she manages to put together such cute clothes, from all the stuff on her bedroom floor!

She's loving and thoughtful and I am so lucky! 

Happy Birthday Katherine!  I know your future has so many possibilities, and you will make the best of every moment!

Love,

Mom

Snow Snow Snow!

Some of our cars have to park in the front yard for now!

YAY! snow plows!

Dangling live electric wires

Why is it always a surprise when it snows here!?  We live in Cleveland, Ohio, so yes, it does snow! 

I will admit, it's pretty!  And it used to be fun to play in the snow when I was a kid (my Dad made the coolest igloos!), and to play in it again when my kids were little!  I loved skiing, skating, sledding, and even on occassion, hanging onto the back bumper of someone's car and being pulled around on the snowy roads (stupid teenage thing-don't try it!)!

So we've got another snow storm and all schools are closed today.  I will still venture out later to go to the post office to ship off some orders, but in the meantime, I'll just admire it from my warm house.

Speaking of a warm house, we could loose our power at anytime.  Check out the wires near the van.  Those are downed power lines from a ice storm Monday night.  We haven't lost power yet, but it could happen anytime.  We have an electrician scheduled to come out Monday, and hopefully everything will be aok after that!

That brings me to another worry!  The electrician has to get into our basement to do some wiring stuff, and if you've seen my shops (here comes the cheap shot at promotion) http://www.jenscloset.etsy.com/ http://www.mymilkglassshop.etsy.com/ http://www.thechinagirl.etsy.com/ and I wish I knew how to change those links to just one word, I see everyone doing that, but I can't figure out how it's done!  Anyways, what was I talking about, oh the basement; yeah, there's shelves up china, glassware, and more fragile stuff, and it's not just on shelves, it's all over the floor too!  I look like the crazy hoarder lady...wait, I am!  So I have to clear stuff away so the electrician can get in there to fix things!

Oh geez, not sue when this will clear up!

Enjoy your weekend, stay warm and safe!

Jen

Vegetarian Soup Recipe

I love meat, but my 17 year old daughter, Katherine, does not!  She's been a vegetarian for several years now and she's well aware that she needs to get protein into her growing body!

I try to make a yummy homemade soup for her every week; a big pot of it, so it will last for about a week.

My soups are always different, but I start the same way almost everytime.  I start with a little butter/olive oil in the pan (less butter for Katherine's soup, since she doesn't like butter either!).  I then saute onion, celery, carrots, and if I have any green, red, yellow, or orange pepper, I'll add that too.

After that's sauteed I will add "Garden Vegetable Broth" (this one happens to be from College Inn.  I added 3 cans this time.

I also added a  bean medley.  This started with bag of dried beans, a good mixture of several beans.  I followed the directions on the back for the quick soak method: rinse the beans, cover with water in a pan, boil for a few minutes, then put a lid on it and let it soak for 1 hour, then drain and rinse beans.  I did find that some of the larger beans were still not soft enough, and I know Katherine will not like that, so I'm going to cook the soup longer to soften them up.

I usually use canned beans, whatever you like is fine!

I also added some rice, italian seasoning dried mix (break it up in your hands), a bit of garlic salt, and a pinch of sugar (just so the broth isn't too bitter).

After this has cooked for awhile I will add some pasta and then let it cook for maybe another 8-10 minutes, depending on what kind of pasta I use.

It's fun-just make it up as you go! Notice my retro large yellow Pyrex bowl and my Corelle Spring Blossom plate and bowl!

I'll jot down my regular veggie soup (the non-vegetarian version) that I make for my husband & I soon!

Perfect on a cold winter day!  Add a nice salad and some bread and it's the perfect lunch or dinner!

Enjoy!

Jen

Here's More Pics!

another whoops-I'll get the hang of this someday

I want this beverage set!

I'm a Foodie

love the Fenton!

and more Fenton!

cool bowls!

yum

whoops

I love watching cooking shows (in fact the tv is usually tuned to the foodnetwork during the day)!  I also love cooking, and most importantly, eating!

I recently purchased a bunch of older Better Homes & Garden Cookbooks. I love to look through the old cookbooks and home decorating books to try to spot the retro china, accessories, etc, that you'll usually find in these books.

I love the beverage set found in the Better Homes & Garden Salad Book (from 1958)!  I'd love to find something like that at estate sale!

And what say's "comfort food" more than more than Scrambled Brains!  Found that delicious recipe in the Better Homes & Garden Meat Cook Book from 1970! 

I actually might try the Beef Stroganoff recipe!   (Yes, I'll skip the scrambled brains; they also have a deep fried brain recipe.)

Enjoy your Saturday!

Jen

P.S. I didn't get all the pics up that I wanted to, so I'll have to make a 2nd post (I'm not cool enough to figure all this out!)-plus the brain picture is not upright, but be sure to check it out!

Shipping International

Shipping international is easier than you might think!

For example, just this morning, someone from Japan asked me what the shipping cost would be for a cute pitcher and coffee cup would be. 

I put them on my handy dandy official USPS scale (that included the box and packing material-if you've been reading my blog you know about that little trick).  That gave me an estimate, and I always add just under 1 lb to that, because when it's all packed, from my experience, it works out just about right.  In fact, my estimate on the weight was 2 lbs 12 oz, and the actual weight was 2 lbs 9 oz!

The http://www.usps.com/ is a great place to get free priority shipping boxes, priority labels, the customs forms, and more, all for free!  Order both the Customs Declaration CN 22 Form (for anything shipping 1st class international).  If it weighs over 4 lbs, it must go priority.  You will need the Customs Declaration & Dispatch Note-CP72 for those items.

Sign up on http://www.usps.com/ to then order a stack of both of these forms.

The 1st class international form is quite easy.  Check the merchandise spot, the detail of the order, quantity, weight (of the item), value, and there's 2 options for the exemptions/exclusions legend, I always check the 1st one, NOEE1 30.37(a) , for under $2500 value.  Sign your name and the date.  On the right there's a place for you to put your info and the buyers name & address.

See, isn't that easy!?

It literally took me maybe 30 minutes to add her shipping information to the listing, she then ordered, I packed it up, went to the post office, came back and gave her the customs ID # (be sure to save that receipt and they will also give you a part of the Customs Declation page for your records.

Next, I will go over the priority customs form!

Have fun!

Jen